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35L Career Guide

Army

35L: Counterintelligence Agent

Career transition guide for Army Counterintelligence Agent (35L)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 35L veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Corporate Investigator

$85K
High matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Industry-specific knowledge (e.g., finance, tech)Legal compliance trainingData analysis tools

Federal Agent (FBI, Homeland Security, DEA)

$90K
High matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Agency-specific trainingAdvanced law enforcement certificationsPhysical fitness standards

Fraud Examiner

$75K
Good matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) certificationAccounting principlesAuditing procedures

Security Manager

$95K
Good matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Security management certifications (e.g., CPP)Risk assessment methodologiesEmergency response planning

Intelligence Analyst (Private Sector)

$80K
Moderate matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) trainingData visualization toolsProgramming languages (e.g., Python)

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 35L training built — and where they transfer.

Adversarial Thinking

In counterintelligence, you constantly anticipate and analyze the actions of adversaries (foreign intelligence entities, insider threats). This requires predicting their strategies, understanding their motivations, and developing countermeasures.

This translates to a strong ability to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in various business scenarios, allowing you to develop proactive strategies to mitigate threats and protect assets.

Situational Awareness

As a CI agent, you maintain a high level of situational awareness, constantly monitoring your surroundings, interpreting subtle cues, and identifying anomalies that could indicate a threat. You understand the broader operational environment and how your actions contribute to overall mission success.

This skill allows you to quickly assess complex situations, identify critical factors, and make informed decisions under pressure. You can anticipate potential problems and adjust your approach as needed, ensuring optimal outcomes.

Pattern Recognition

You are trained to identify patterns in seemingly disparate pieces of information to detect potential threats or vulnerabilities. This involves analyzing data from multiple sources, recognizing trends, and connecting seemingly unrelated events to form a cohesive picture.

This translates to a strong ability to analyze complex datasets, identify key trends, and draw meaningful conclusions. You can use this skill to identify opportunities, predict market changes, and develop innovative solutions.

After-Action Analysis

You routinely conduct after-action reviews of CI operations and investigations to identify lessons learned, assess the effectiveness of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and develop recommendations for improvement.

You are adept at evaluating the effectiveness of strategies and operations, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing corrective actions. This allows you to drive continuous improvement and optimize performance in any organization.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Fraud Investigator

SOC 13-2099

You've been trained to detect deception, analyze complex information, and conduct thorough investigations, making you ideally suited to uncover fraudulent activities in financial institutions, insurance companies, or other organizations. You're skilled at gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and building a case against perpetrators.

Market Research Analyst

SOC 13-1161

Your pattern recognition and analytical skills honed in CI translate perfectly to understanding consumer behavior and market trends. You're adept at gathering and interpreting data to identify opportunities and predict market changes, helping businesses make informed decisions.

Business Continuity Planner

SOC 13-1199

You have experience in threat assessment, risk mitigation, and contingency planning, which are essential for ensuring business continuity in the face of disruptions. Your situational awareness and problem-solving skills allow you to develop and implement plans to minimize downtime and protect critical assets.

Training & Education Equivalencies

35L Advanced Individual Training (AIT), Fort Huachuca

680 training hours17 weeksUp to 9 semester hours recommended

Topics Covered

  • Counterintelligence (CI) Operations
  • CI Investigations
  • Source Operations
  • Surveillance and Counter-Surveillance
  • Threat Analysis
  • Interview and Interrogation Techniques
  • CI Reporting and Documentation
  • Legal Aspects of CI

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

Certified Protection Professional (CPP)70% covered

Study business principles of security management, legal aspects, and physical security systems.

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)60% covered

Focus on civil and criminal law as it pertains to fraud, criminology, and ethics related to fraud examination.

Security+ (CompTIA)75% covered

Familiarize yourself with specific cybersecurity tools and technologies, risk management frameworks, and compliance regulations relevant to IT environments.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)Project Management Professional (PMP)GIAC Security Certifications (e.g., GSEC, GCIA, GCIH)

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
DCGS-A (Distributed Common Ground System-Army)Palantir Gotham, IBM i2 Analyst's Notebook
HUMINT Online Tasking and Reporting (HOTR)Case management and reporting software (e.g., Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics)
Biometric Identification System for Access (BISA)Biometric access control systems (e.g., fingerprint scanners, facial recognition software from companies like Thales or NEC)
Counterintelligence Analysis Tool (CIAT)Data analytics platforms (e.g., Splunk, Tableau, Power BI) focused on anomaly detection and threat analysis
Tactical HUMINT Operations Management System (THOMS)CRM and task management software (e.g., Asana, Trello)
Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS)Secure communication platforms (e.g., Signal, Wickr, encrypted email services)

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